WhoisXML API Blog

Exploring IoCs and Their DNS Narratives

No matter how stealthy attackers try to be, they almost always leave a trail behind—digital breadcrumbs known as “indicators of compromise (IoCs)” after a cyber attack or an attempted intrusion.

Let's take the Black Basta ransomware attacks as an example. Cybersecurity authorities like the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) identified hundreds of IoCs associated with this ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) variant. These IoCs include cyber resources like file hashes, domain names, and IP addresses, and serve as digital footprints pertaining to the attackers’ activities. They provide invaluable clues for cybersecurity professionals, helping them understand what happened and prevent similar attacks in the future.

Who Runs Email Communications? A Look at the Prevalence of MX Records

Email remains a vital part of modern communication, with 347.3 billion emails sent and received daily worldwide in 2023. For each email to reach its intended recipient, mail exchange (MX) records direct it to the correct mail server.

While individual email users can create their own mail servers, most people use email services from established email service providers (ESPs) to avoid the complexity of running their own servers. These services typically provide storage, security features, and user-friendly interfaces, all without burdening users with maintenance.

However, some experts are concerned about the concentration of power within a limited number of companies controlling MX records. They warn of potential vulnerabilities if email routing relies heavily on just a handful of providers.

Leveraging IP Data to Enable Extensive Asset Discovery and Contextualization

Mirroring Sun Tzu’s wisdom, “To know your enemy, you must become your enemy,” today’s cybersecurity landscape demands that security teams see their IT infrastructure through attackers’ eyes. This proactive approach is vital, notably considering the Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) finding that 65% of data breaches stem from external sources.

Adopting an attacker mindset enables security teams to identify and address attack vectors early and continuously manage their attack surfaces. This strategy entails asking questions like, “What assets can threat actors see and use as entry points?” and “How can compromising these assets impact other assets?”

External attack surface management (EASM) solutions, especially when supplemented with IP intelligence, can help answer these and other related questions.

Multilayered Fraud Detection with Cyber Intelligence

For centuries, fraudsters have devised cunning schemes to steal from unsuspecting victims. Though fraud methods have evolved, their impact remains devastating. In 2023 alone, victims worldwide lost more than US$1 trillion to fraud.

The latest INTERPOL assessment of financial fraud reveals that technology significantly enables cybercriminal groups to launch large-scale and sophisticated campaigns. This trend calls for a similar technology-empowered cybersecurity approach. Organizations need to respond in kind and utilize modern technology to detect and prevent fraud.

It’s Time to Upgrade: Is Your Security Solution Ready for PCI DSS v4.0?

For organizations handling cardholder data, security is a constant battle, with cybercriminals devising new tactics and exploits to steal sensitive information left and right. That is why the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) has been crucial as the gold standard for safeguarding payment-related data. And just as threats evolve, so too must the standards protecting financial information.

Recognizing this need, the PCI Security Standards Council introduced PCI DSS v4.0, effectively retiring PCI DSS v3.2.1 on 31 March 2024. Let’s explore what this new version brings to the table and how it can help organizations better protect cardholder data.

The Real Dangers NSFW Websites Pose, It’s Not Just about Productivity

Do you ever wonder why many organizations block employee access to not-safe-for-work (NSFW) websites?

Content filtering, the process of blocking access to NSFW websites, has long been believed to be just about improving employee productivity. And that’s not surprising since a survey indicated that 58% of employees spend at least four hours a week or 26 workdays a year on websites unrelated to their job.

Unraveling the World of Security Data Aggregation

More than 30.6 billion records have been exposed in 2024 so far based on 8,839 publicly disclosed incidents. Intensifying cybersecurity efforts has thus become more critical than ever for organizations the world over. But that requires having the whole picture on hand, and that’s only possible if users can take a closer look inside and outside their networks.

More often than not, painting the complete threat picture is an impossible feat to take on independently. Collecting, sifting through, and making sense of the massive data pool that effective cybersecurity requires is just too tedious even for an entire security team. They need the help of security data providers and a means to piece all the information they provide together to turn it into actionable intelligence. Enter security data aggregation.

Navigating Today’s OSINT Ecosystem Effectively

Organizations of all types have long been relying on open-source intelligence (OSINT) for various business purposes, most notably cybersecurity. There’s a growing need for it. In fact, experts predict that the worldwide OSINT market revenue will reach US$38.07 billion by 2028 from US$12.2 billion in 2023. And that’s not surprising given that 75% of security professionals have seen the volume of cyber attacks rise in the past year alone.

But the OSINT ecosystem is vast, comprising hundreds if not thousands of disparate types, sources, tools, and techniques. Navigating it can be a challenge. Organizations not only need to know what information to gather but also which vendor to tap and how to piece all the details together to come up with concrete cybersecurity measures.